Career Advice

Six Ways to Set Yourself Up for Long-Term PR Success

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Six Ways to Set Yourself Up for Long-Term PR SuccessAs a recent college graduate, I’ve learned what it takes to become a public relations professional.

Not only has my undergraduate career helped me learn the fundamental principles of the industry, but so have the opportunities I’ve taken along the way.

And, through this journey, I found the following attributes are beneficial for anyone looking to be successful in the PR industry.

1. Brand You

Start branding yourself early. Make sure not only your resume, cover letter and business cards are cohesive, but be aware of how you’re portraying yourself on social media.

Employers will go to all lengths to figure out exactly who you really are and what you put out there for people to see.

2. Professional Portfolio

Don’t just rely on your resume to tell employers about your accomplishments. Get creative. Think outside the box and find other ways to display your work.

Nothing’s wrong with the traditional printed documents in a leather binder, but is this really what employers want to see?

Kick it up a notch and wow them. Personally, I use Wix.com as a platform for illustrating my work, but there are so many different platforms you can choose from, so find the one that fits you best.

3. Networking

This is a huge part of any career you are pursuing. Knowing someone on the inside of a company or agency is almost as important as having a perfect resume.

Networking is not a hard skill to learn, but you must be willing to go out and meet people. You never know who you might meet or who someone you already have contact with might know.

And, while you’re networking, don’t be afraid to sell yourself.

We’ve all heard about the “elevator pitch”, but do you have one prepared? If not, figure yours out and give it to everyone you meet, even if they don’t have a job to offer. Relationships can to lead to jobs.

4. Find Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Admitting your strengths and weaknesses is hard to do, especially if it’s in a work setting. I always thought I knew my strengths and weaknesses, but after referencing ‘Strengths Finder 2.0’, I had a more in-depth viewpoint of myself.

If you’re trying to succeed in the PR industry, or just trying to better yourself, I’d definitely recommend this book.

5. Job Hunting

Finding a job can be stressful, but only if you make it that way. Don’t expect to get your dream job right out of college, it may take a year or more until you finally find exactly what you want to do.

Take this time to figure out what it is exactly you are looking for. If you can’t find a job right away, there’s nothing wrong with taking an internship, even if you already have one under your belt.

Many companies expect their employees to start out as interns before they’re hired as part of the team.

6. Stay Relevant

This doesn’t just mean staying up to date with your social media sites. It’s expanding your horizons by listening to podcasts, participating in Twitter chats, attending luncheons, etc.

Public relations is an evolving industry and the people on the inside are constantly learning. So with these tips in mind, you can better yourself both personally, and as a PR professional.

Jillian Berger HeadshotJillian Berger is an Assistant Account Executive at GlynnDevins an Advertising Agency located in Overland Park, Kansas. Jillian is a member of KCPRSA and a former vice president of UCMPRSSA. Jillian has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Central Missouri. Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn and Twitter (@JillianBPR)

 

A Wallflower’s Guide to Networking

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

A Wallflower’s Guide to NetworkingWe’ve all been there. Whether it’s a mixer in college, or a happy hour event with your local PRSA New Pro’s chapter, we’re all dealt opportunities in life to meet new people as it relates to our interest/hobbies or our career.

For some of us, however, those opportunities aren’t always approached with sunshine and rainbows.

Despite the importance these networking events have on our career and goals, some of us are a bit on the shy side, or are introverts.

And quite frankly, when you’re starting out in your career heading to your first networking event, it’s normal to feel a bit awkward or uneasy regardless of personality type.

There are a few tips that I have used in my own professional advancement and as a fellow wallflower to get around those awkward stutters or fumbles when networking with peers. These include:

1. Bring a buddy.

I will tell you that after moving across the country for my first PR job in Las Vegas, I knew absolutely no one. I will forever be thankful for my first friend there, who also happened to be my roommate and now one of my dearest friends, who encouraged me to come with her to meet-ups with fellow PR professionals in the city.

Now, I know we all can’t be as lucky as I was, obviously. But the takeaway here is to find that person whom you call a friend and ask them to join you at a networking event. You’ll feel more at ease and comfortable being yourself.

2. Introduce yourself.

Well, duh. Right? But there’s more to this. There are bound to be others just like you at this networking event who are also a tad shy. You can probably find them in the corner or hanging back from the crowd. Go up and introduce yourself and start a conversation. Fairly soon, you might find yourself with a new friend. And for help, consider these tips from Huffington Post on conversation starters AND closers for networking.

3. Use your instincts.

When meeting new people for the first time, let your instincts kick in. Listen. Ask questions. And remember to smile, and more importantly, breathe. It’s easy to stare at your feet or into space when feeling nervous, so try your best to make eye contact. These simple, but sometimes easily forgotten gestures will get you further than you think in your networking.

4. Practice.

Consider how you want to present yourself, and what you want to say about yourself. Let’s skip the embarrassing story from grade school, and try being straightforward while maintaining your authentic self. This is probably the most important, as there’s nothing worse than meeting that cheese ball who is there with one goal in mind: taking home the most business cards. Instant ick factor.

While practice won’t necessarily make you “perfect” in this case, it will calm your nerves if you have rehearsed with a friend who will give you honest feedback.

5. Use social media to your advantage.

Yes, face-to-face networking is best. Or at least that’s what most will tell you. However, I cannot tell you the number of relationships I’ve developed with media and PR professionals through the power of social media. My go-to? Twitter. There are endless networking opportunities for a wallflower on social media. It takes a bit of the pressure off.

A few suggestions to consider for this. First, attempt to engage in a Twitter chat every so often (PRSA New Pros monthly chats are a good start!). You’ll be exposed to other participants and immediately will have a shared common interest. Second, keep your bio updated on your Twitter profile. This includes your interests outside of the office. I love nothing more when I can tweet a fellow Ohio University Scripps alum (go Bobcats!) because I saw it in their profile and they shared something I found interesting.

As a final note, just relax. And, “to thine own self be true.”

Thank you, Shakespeare for those remarkably brilliant words.

But seriously, be yourself, and come ready to meet some new people.

Are you a fellow introvert and have a tip to add for networking as a wallflower? Please share with me on Twitter @shandihuber. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Shandi HuberShandi Huber is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, apublic relations agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. An enthusiast for all social media platforms, you can often find her pinning her dream closet on Pinterest or posting photos of her new puppy on Instagram. Connect with Shandi onLinkedIn and Twitter (@shandihuber).  

PRSA New Pros + PRSSA Twitter Chat Recap

Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our collaborative Twitter Chat with PRSSA as new professionals answered questions submitted from PRSSA students about entering the PR work field and about PRSA. Thank you to PRSSA Liaisons Lauren Gray and Henry Cervera for planning and to PRSSA National President Heather Harder and PRSSA vice president of public relations Ethan Parry for their support and planning as well.

Join us again on April 15 for our next #NPPRSA chat and stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn andGoogle+.

Review highlights of the chat below and send any questions you may have about working in the PR workforce or about PRSA to #npprsa.

#ThrowbackThursday with Christopher Penn

Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

Editor’s note: This is the second post in our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro. 

Earlier this week, we shared five skills young pros need to excel in the PR world, and as many noticed, digital knowledge was at the top of that list.

Christopher S PennToday’s #ThrowbackThursday guest, Christopher Penn, pretty much wrote the book on digital PR. (And by “wrote the book,” we mean authored three best sellers.)

He’s the vice president of marketing technology at SHIFT Communications, co-founder of PodCamp New Media Community Conference and co-host of the Marketing Over Coffee podcast. Christopher has been named one of the top 50 most influential people in social media and digital marketing by Forbes multiple times, and he was named the PR News 2014 Agency Professional of the Year.

So, yeah. When it comes to integrated marketing communications, Christopher Penn is kind of a big deal. Now, let’s take a walk through his PR memory lane on this #ThrowbackThursday!

Question 1: You didn’t start off in PR right out of school. How did you get started in the industry?

It’s funny you mention that. I’ve been a marketer for years and years. The middle of the funnel – lead generation – was really my area of expertise. I could squeeze leads out of nearly any audience with tried and true marketing tactics.

But I ran into a problem: where does the audience come from?

As a marketer, you usually just buy it, with ads or list buys. That gets expensive. In 2012, I was talking to a good friend and agency owner, Mitch Joel, and he said that I needed to understand the agency world.

After that conversation, I reached out to longtime acquaintance Todd Defren, co-founder of SHIFT Communications, and said hey, let’s trade. You teach me about the top of the funnel and how PR works, and I’ll bring the middle of the funnel expertise to your clients. That started a beautiful relationship!

Question 2: Right out of college, what would you say are the most important skills new PR pros should possess?

The Ability to Write

Writing is at the heart of modern marketing and PR. Everything begins with writing, from sticky notes on your desk to 90,000 word books to screenplays for YouTube videos. Even great speaking leverages your ability to skillfully choose words. The problem is, most people aren’t great writers. Most people are average or slightly below average writers who can’t communicate with clarity.

I recommend that every student – and every PR pro – become familiar with tools like SlickWrite and Hemingway. While these tools cannot fix problems with structure, logical flow, or facts, they can identify basic flaws in writing. See this post on up-cycling content for a bit more on these tools.

The Ability to Do Deep Analysis

Statistics and mathematics are core skills for today’s PR pro. I know, I know, you got into PR to avoid math. Bad news: everything has math now. You must have the ability to take data, visualize it, analyze it, and turn it into insights and strategies.

Many students take courses with tools like SPSS and R; when they leave university life, those skills quickly atrophy. Don’t permit that to happen. Download data sets from public sources like data.gov to keep your data analysis skills strong. Practice, improve, and expand your data analysis toolkit.

If you’re facing data analysis challenges, I also recommend my latest book, Marketing Blue Belt.

The Ability to Be Creative

Creativity is one skill area that gets systematically beaten out of you by school and work. The ability to be creative hinges on your inputs, on how much useful stuff is in your brain that you can draw on at any given time. If all you’ve got in your head is junk, then all you’ll produce is junk. (Click to Tweet!) Feed your brain, especially after leaving an academic environment!

The more useful, usable information your mind has to work with, the more creative you can be. (this is also the basis for my previous book, Marketing Red Belt).

Question 3: Many new pros know they need to learn digital marketing skills, but they don’t know where to start. Can you share some tips on how new pros can learn on their own?

Learn by reading. There are great books out there like the Portable MBA on Marketing that can give you a solid foundation. If you’re in a hurry, I wrote a Cliffs Notes style book on marketing called Marketing White Belt.

Question 4: What were some of the pivotal teachings or experiences from your past that helped you become the PR pro you are today?

The biggest lessons come from the martial arts. One of the tenets of the art I practice is “keep going!”. It’s an admonition to never get comfortable, to never believe that you’ve won, and to keep learning.

One of my teachers, Ken Savage, has a great expression, “Teacher for now, student for life”. As we rise up in the ranks of our organizations, we tend to forget to keep learning. We get entrenched. We don’t budget time for learning – and we fall behind. Our organizations fall behind. Don’t let that happen – keep going!

Question 5: If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself during your first year in PR, what would you say?

I would advise myself to buy Apple stock before the 7-1 split last summer. Investing 100 shares in Apple when I joined SHIFT would have cost $12,400. Today that same investment would be worth $87,493.

More about Christopher:

Christopher S. Penn has been featured as a recognized authority in many books, publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, BusinessWeek and US News & World Report, and television networks such as PBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and ABC News for his leadership in new media and marketing. In 2012 and 2013, Forbes Magazine recognized him as one of the top 50 most influential people in social media and digital marketing. MediaPost renewed this honor in 2015. Marketo Corporation named him a Marketing Illuminator, and PR News nominated him as both Social Media Person of the Year and Social Media Icon MVP in 2014. PR News also named him Agency Professional of the Year.

Mr. Penn is the Vice President of Marketing Technology at SHIFT Communications, a public relations firm, as well as co-founder of the groundbreaking PodCamp New Media Community Conference, and co-host of the Marketing Over Coffee marketing podcast. He is a Google Analytics Certified Professional and a Google AdWords Certified Professional. He’s the author of the best-selling books Marketing White Belt: Basics for the Digital Marketer, Marketing Red Belt: Connecting With Your Creative Mind, and Marketing Blue Belt: From Data Zero to Marketing Hero.

What skills do young PR pros need?

Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

What skills do young PR pros need-If you want to excel in the PR world, it’s time to think beyond the classroom.

(Uh oh. I can already hear some angry rumblings from my former professors…)

I’ll admit, the skills you learn in your PR classes are vital. They’ve helped me understand strategy, ROI, media relations and much more.

(Phew. Now my next campus visit won’t be so awkward.)

But today’s PR pros need more than the basics. Even if you have a progressive professor teaching integrated PR, there’s still no way you can learn every single new marketing skill in one semester, or even four years.

With the way this PR world is changing, it’s just not humanly possible. To stay competitive in the job market you need to be:

  • Constantly learning.
  • Subscribing to podcasts.
  • Reading blogs daily.
  • Heck, even starting your own blog.

But don’t just take my word for it. To help answer the “What skills do young PR pros need” question, I’ve aggregated tips from some leading industry experts. 

Understand the data – @johnsonhui 

As a new PR pro, you’ll be heavily involved in reporting and measurement. But Johnson Hui of Edelman notes the most impressive employees can infer actionable insights from data – instead of just regurgitating numbers.

“PR professionals no longer simply grind data from press clips and media audits,” he says in Edelman’s blog post. “They need to be able to identify valuable data and tell evidence-based stories that can impact business decisions.”

Learn content marketing – @GiniDietrich

In her August 2014 post, Gini suggests doing content marketing for yourself to really understand how to use it on the job. Get started with a personal blog on Tumblr, WordPress or Blogger.

I started my own PR blog last year, and the insights I’ve gleaned have been tremendous. I researched and uncovered entirely new social and syndication tools to help my content get found, which, in turn, is used to help my clients amplify their own content.

Bonus tip: If you’re thinking to yourself “I have nothing to write about!” check out another Gini post on generating blog post ideas.

Speak publicly – confidently – @RachelAMiller

Sure, digital is an integral part of PR, but that doesn’t mean face-to-face communication is obsolete. Not by a long shot.

Rachel Miller of PR 20|20 notes that public speaking is the number one fear in the U.S. (Yes, number *one* above disgusting spiders or 50-legged silverfish bugs – my arch enemies). But, whether you’re sharing ideas during internal meetings or presenting a Q2 or annual plan to clients, public speaking is a necessity.

To beef up your public speaking skills – and calm those jitters – Rachel suggests finding local speech classes, clubs or even making toasts at family functions like weddings. (Look no further than Michael Scott for this inspiration.)

Look for trends, not just hits – @Julia_Sahin 

In her post “10 things young PR pros need to STOP doing to get ahead,” Julia tells young PR pros to look for trends hidden within clients’ stories and industries. It’s easy to find client coverage and call it a day, but the PR pros who find the underlying trends are the PR pros who excel.

“Picking up the patterns and interests of reporters, publications and blogs and identifying opportunities is one of the most valuable skills in the industry,” she says in the post on Muckrack. “Start this practice early and you’ll be a real pro before you know it.”

Understand the media landscape – @allenmireles

Despite the ongoing PR changes, one traditional tactic remains integral to the industry: media relations. The third-party credibility is irreplaceable, says Allen.

But today’s media relations looks quite different than media relations 10 years ago. We now have blogger and influencer relations under that media umbrella. To stay updated on the media landscape, you must read, watch and listen to the news. And better yet, get your news from a variety of outlets.

This knowledge will get you far in the interview process and on the job.

PR is a constantly evolving industry.  To get ahead of the pack, you’ll need to make sure these skills (plus those described in the subhead hyperlinks, which I strongly suggest reading) are part of your PR repertoire.

And now, it’s your turn: What must-have PR skills would you add to this list?

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Stephanie VermillionStephanie Vermillion is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati. She is the PRSA National New Professionals blog co-chair, and is on the PRSA Cincinnati Leadership Team. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@SMVermillion).